Machines and the Age of Invention

2018 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, arguably the first modern science fiction novel. Using Frankenstein as its key text, this course explores the history of science and medical ethics during the 18th and 19th centuries. Topics that we will discuss include grave robbing, dissection, gender, and human consciousness. We will place historical documents in conversation with contemporary debates through examining Frankenstein‘s influence on popular culture including films such as Blade Runner and Ex Machina.